Andy Stewart Discography
Reissues & Compilations
Over the years there have been many compilations of Andy’s recordings, several issued under the banner of “Greatest Hits” or implied as being the “Best-Of”. Of these compilations only three could really claim to live up to the title “very best of”, and there has never been an attempt at a “cross-label” overview of the whole of Andy’s recording career.
EMI RECORDINGS
The Very Best Of Andy Stewart
Year of Release: 1974
Label: EMI
Catalogue Number: EMC 3053
The first post-EMI compilation arrived in November 1974. A twenty-track album containing all the expected favourites, plus a few surprising choices for a “Best-Of” such as: ‘Tobermory Treasure‘ and ‘Dancing in Kyle‘ both from the 1967 album “And His Friends of The White Heather Club’.
Overall an excellent compilation, blighted however, by a plethora of “Electronically Reprocessed” Stereo mixes (even on tracks where true stereo versions exist!) and EMI’s inability to note correct dates for the tracks, i.e. ‘The Battle’s O’er‘ and ‘Campbeltown Loch‘ are dated as 1966 (should be 1961 and 1963 respectively). Eight of the twenty tracks are wrongly dated.
This album again includes the alternative version of ‘Heather Bells will Bloom Again’ (without The Michael Sammes Singers) as released on the 1968 Music for Pleasure release ‘My Hameland’. On subsequent compilations, this is the version that is now included. EMI must surely have this version marked down as the original 45RPM single release stereo “master” (but it isn’t).
The album was re-released in 1979 on the Waverley label as ’20 Golden Scottish Favourites’ with a lovely new colour sleeve front and back, featuring Andy photographed mid-sixties, possibly taken on stage during his 1965 Pantomime ‘Goldilocks and The Three Bears’.
The Green Crystal Bag / Blow Blow My Kilt Awa’
Year of Release: 1976
Label: EMI
Catalogue Number: EMI 2556
This 45rpm single is a real oddity. Released on EMI in November 1976, both tracks are taken from the 1969 LP ‘I Love to Wear the Kilt’. The reasoning for this release is unknown, and the only thing that was happening around this time was Andy receiving his M.B.E. in December of ’76. Was this released as some sort of tribute?
I Love To Wear The Kilt
Year of Release: 1977
Label: One-Up
Catalogue Number: OU 2191
A straightforward re-pressing of the original 1969 album of the same name – the Stereo version – (with a new colour rear sleeve and new notes) on EMI’s budget label ‘One-Up’. The only original album ever to receive a complete re-release.
The Andy Stewart Collection
Year of Release: 1985
Label: Music For Pleasure
Catalogue Number: MFP 41 5700 1
Another excellent selection and probably the best compilation-to-date, spanning a wide range of Andy’s EMI recordings. Again however, EMI still cannot quite sort out their dates: apparently ‘Dr. Finlay‘ was released in 1960 (1965) and ‘Campbeltown Loch‘ is again listed as 1966 (1963). And disappointingly seven of the tracks are still in fake Stereo. Even so, if anyone wished to hear an introduction to Andy’s music, or purchase a good retrospective, this would be the compilation to buy, and it is heartening to see that this is the one EMI CD that is still available to buy today (if only they would sort out the mixes!).
Re-released on compact disc in 1993 and re-packaged again in 2001 as ‘Twenty Scottish Favourites’ on EMI Gold.
Andy Stewart
Year of Release: 1990
Label: Ideal
Catalogue Number: CDIDL 100
This compilation was the final Andy Stewart release issued as a vinyl record and the first release on compact disc.
The tracks sound terrifically clear on compact disc, and mono mixes are used instead of the fake Stereo ones. The only slightly arguable point on this release is the inclusion of four tracks from the 1969 “Lauder” LP. It would have been better to have four tracks more representative of Andy himself. And ‘Campbeltown Loch‘ is still listed as 1966…
The White Heather Club
Year of Release: 1991
Label: Compacts For Pleasure
Catalogue Number: CC 263
This compilation of tracks from two old EMI Scottish music releases includes all of the 22 tracks from the Stereo album ‘The White Heather Club Party’ as originally released in 1960, and is therefore a good CD to add to the Stewart collection.
The Andy Stewart Collection
40 Scottish Favourites
Year of Release: 1994
Label: EMI Music Australia
Catalogue Number: 7243 8 14468 2 9
A rare Australian-only 2 CD release which expands on the original UK 1985 ‘Andy Stewart Collection’ by taking the original compilation of 20 tracks as Disc One, and adding the seven outstanding tracks from the 1974 compilation ‘The Very Best of Andy Stewart’ and then adding the whole of the 1973 ‘Scotch Corner’ album (‘Road to the Isles’ is already on the first disc) as Disc Two, making 40 tracks in all.
Of course to Stewart collectors the second disc is the desirable one, with pristine audio sources previously unavailable.
Very hard to find today, but if seen, it is a “must-buy” due to the rarity of the tracks appearing on this CD compilation alone.
The Very Best Of Andy Stewart
Year of Release: 1999
Label: Moidart
Catalogue Number: MOICD 016
An admirable effort and one of the most important Stewart releases in a quarter of a century. Independent music group Moidart licensed the original EMI recordings and remastered them from the original ASD EMI Master tapes achieving the highest fidelity ever available. As if that wasn’t enough, ‘The Tartan Ribbon‘ and ‘The Gallant Forty-Twa‘ are included here for the first time in stereo – worthy additions to any “Best-Of” compilation.
Unfortunately now deleted, this CD should be hunted down and acquired via EBay, Amazon etc., or by any means available as one of THE crucial Stewart releases. (Even if ‘Campbeltown Loch‘ is still listed as 1966!).
If only the original EMI albums could have been remastered and reissued with the same attention to fidelity – or rather – if only they could have been REISSUED, period.
The Scottish Soldier
Year of Release: 2012
Label: Hallmark
Catalogue Number: 711492
A surprise release in 2012.
An original Canadian album from 1963, this album was released in the UK on Compact Disc in 2012 on the budget label Hallmark (711492). Whilst not transferred from master-tapes (the transfer has been made from a vinyl record) the sound quality is good, and the CD cover is a reproduction of the original album art. This qualifies as the only “original” 1960’s album available on CD to date.
PYE RECORDINGS
Greatest Hits
Year of Release: 1992
Label: Savanna
Catalogue Number: SSLCD 103
There has only ever been one major re-release of Andy’s Pye recordings to date; that of his 1977 album ‘Greatest Hits’.
In 1992 Savanna Sounds Ltd. issued the same title on CD, with a very slight change in running order, and featuring the photo shot of Andy originally featured on the Pye album ‘Brand New from Andy’.
Sounds Of Scotland
Year of Release: 1993
Label: Castle Communications
Catalogue Number: MACCD 125
Three tracks from the Pye years were included on this Various Artists compilation; ‘Bonnie Annie‘ and ‘Song of Freedom‘ both from the 1975 LP ‘Brand New from Andy’ and ‘A Scottish Soldier‘ from the 1977 album ‘Greatest Hits’.
Scotland The Brave
Year of Release: 1997
Label: Castle Pulse
Catalogue Number: PLS CD 178
Two tracks were included here on this Various Artists compilation; ‘A Guid Scotch Night‘ from the 1975 LP ‘Brand New from Andy’ and ‘A Scottish Soldier‘ from the 1977 album ‘Greatest Hits’.
EMERALD RECORDINGS
The Best Of Andy Stewart
Year of Release: 1987
Label: Emerald Gem
Catalogue Number: GES 1237
The first compilation of recordings from the Emerald catalogue, simply but effectively presented.
Forever In Song
Year of Release: 1993
Label: Prism Leisure Corporation
Catalogue Number: PLATCD 3921
Prism took the 1979 album ‘Sing a Song of Scotland’ and squeezed as much of the double album as they could onto one CD, managing to include 80 of the original 100 songs.
The Very Best Of Andy Stewart
Year of Release: 1996
Label: Emerald Gem / MCA
Catalogue Number: MCVD 30008
The classiest looking of all the Emerald compilation CDs (with the involvement of MCA Records) includes a selection of recordings issued between 1978-1981.
The Best Of Andy Stewart
Year of Release: 1996
Label: Emporio
Catalogue Number: EMPRCD 697
Another compilation of tracks lifted from ‘Sing a Song of Scotland’.
Donald, Where’s Yer Troosers?
Year of Release: 2001
Label: Music Digital
Catalogue Number: CD 6253
The first excellent compilation of Emerald recordings issued by Music Digital.
My Homeland
Year of Release: 2003
Label: Music Digital
Catalogue Number: CD6518
Two years later, the second excellent compilation of Emerald recordings issued by Music Digital.
100 All Time Scottish Favourites
Year of Release: 2003
Label: Emerald
Catalogue Number: GESCD 1254
This time Emerald themselves re-packaged ‘Sing a Song of Scotland’ including the whole double album on two CDs, re-arranging the running order slightly.
LISMOR RECORDINGS
The Robert Burns Collection: The Burns Supper
Year of Release: 1995
Label: Lismor
Catalogue Number: LCOM 6039
At first examination, this double CD from Lismor appears to be a simple re-release of their 1986 double album ‘The Burns Supper, however on closer examination it is more than that.
From the original, many tracks have been replaced with newer ones. For example, John Cairney, Russell Hunter and Moira Anderson have all gone and new additions include Elaine C. Smith and Isobel Buchanan. Of the two Andy Stewart recordings, ‘Address to the Haggis‘ seems to be the same version from 1986, but ‘Tam O’ Shanter‘ is five minutes longer and appears to be from 1988.
This new edition sharing the same title as the original, ‘The Burns Supper’, was released under the banner of ‘The Robert Burns Collection’ in 1995.
The Robert Burns Collection: The Burns Supper
PLAY ALBUM (YOUTUBE)
SCOTDISC RECORDINGS
A Scottish Soldier
Andy Stewart MBE & The Pipes and Drums of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
Year of Release: 2003
Label: Scotdisc
Catalogue Number: CDITV705
Scotdisc re-packaged Andy’s 1992 recordings (that were originally recorded for his VHS video release ‘Andy Stewart’s Scotland’) pairing them with recordings of pipe tunes by The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. One track, ‘A Scottish Soldier‘ had Andy’s recording mixed in with the pipes to create a “new” version, this was released as a CD single preceding the album. All the rest of Andy’s tracks are presented exactly as released previously.
This was subsequently re-released in a double set containing both CD and DVD.
Postscript
When this website was originally developed the compact-disc was the number-one method of distributing music to the general public. Ten short years later and the world has seen a rapid decline in the manufacturing of CDs going hand-in-hand with the incredible rise of on-demand services. Nowadays compact-disc production is largely reserved for lavish collectors’ multi-disc box-sets by ‘legacy’ artists such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd. The future of mass-market music distribution is now definitely in the hands of the music streaming services such as Apple, Amazon, YouTube, Spotify, etc.
It is a shame that during the 20 years that the compact-disc was king, the majority of Andy’s best recordings never even made it to CD. Essentially then, discounting any physical releases that don’t really warrant further examination (being simply re-titling or repackaging); this discography can now be considered complete.